[Webby1518]

this question may have an obvious answer but I am having a hard time finding it here.
I have a U11 M Sport on order that should be arriving within the next 3 weeks. this is my first car in 9 years without run flat tires. I would rather pay $500 a tire and have the sense of security having run flats on my car and not have to go through the trouble of being on the side of the road and wait for AAA to come help change a tire. I am also becoming limited w the range of mobility in my arms and cannot change a tire.
since the U11 comes with non run flat tires, is the car equipped to have run flats put on without any issues? will the car automatically detect RFTs are on the car, or will the settings need to be changed?

[MontyB1]

From my understanding your issue will be the rims, run flat tyres from memory need an extra bump inside that standard wheels mostly don’t have. This is to help keep the tyre from slipping inside if it deflates.

Settings in the car you won’t need but the ride will become much firmer, cars designed or run flats often have different suspension settings to limit the firmer sidewalls that run flats have.

So yes you can do it but would need new wheels, and tyres and face the firmer ride. Or ask yourself when was the last time you had a flat and is the switch worthy the hassle? In the EU now rarely do and spare tyres get provided anymore for weight saving.

[Lantirn]

I mean I can understand him.

I had blown tire twice. One in my E87 and one in my F20. Both were runflats and tbh I didnt even realise I had a bad tire. The warning just came in. I remember the first time in my E87 stopping the car and circling the car and kicking the tires to find out after some time which tire had lost pressure. I also remember driving unstressed to the tire shop.

For me the firmer/noisier drive is worth it for these bad tire days.

[Webby1518]

Originally Posted by Lantirn

I mean I can understand him.

I had blown tire twice. One in my E87 and one in my F20. Both were runflats and tbh I didnt even realise I had a bad tire. The warning just came in. I remember the first time in my E87 stopping the car and circling the car and kicking the tires to find out after some time which tire had lost pressure. I also remember driving unstressed to the tire shop.

For me the firmer/noisier drive is worth it for these bad tire days.

same here. I had a flat last year from an idiot changing their spark plugs in the work parking lot, and I was thankful I had RFTs otherwise idk what I would've done. the next day I drove 3 miles down the road to Mavis on my dead tire w no worry at all.
I'm in NY and I have to drive 20 miles on uneven back roads for my commute. seeing a blown tire on the side of the road is one of the scariest things, it's like someone stuck a stick of dynamite inside to blow it up and now your wheel is destroyed.
I never realised the loud road noise was from the RFTs and tbh it doesn't bother me bc I'm so used to it after 9 years.
I am small and only 100 lbs. and I do not have the core or limb strength to physically change a tire.
I will talk to the dealership when I get my new car. and if it comes down to it and I have to order different wheels for run flats, it's worth it.

[COOLGREANY]

I'm planning to change to RFTs when the OEM tires wear out. According to this web site, no special rims are needed.

https://www.tires-easy.com/blog/run-...how-they-work/

[FlashMonkey929]

Another option would be a tire plug kit. I've been using them for years in place of a spare tire, and have run the tires to the limit with the plugs in the tread. With proper technique, you can plug a tire in less time than it takes to break the lug nuts free changing a spare. If your mobility is too limited though, I can see that being an issue.

[cOBRaX]

they told me when i purchased this car, NOT USE runflats, i had it on lot of BMW before, and o my 3er i have it too, but not recommended for X1

[BMWZ4]

You'll may end up regretting the RF's. I had them on my first 5 bmw's because my wife & I spent quite a bit of time on long highway drives every month & didn't want to get stuck along the way (even with the available roadside assistance). In any case, a few reasons I stopped buying RF's:

1. Cost
2. Don't last as long
3. Harsh ride, given the already stiff suspension nature of bmw's
4. When the tread starts to wear down, the added road noise is obvious on highway drives
5. Having to buy winter RF's was painful as well

Edit: All/most bmw's now come with pumps/goo to blast into the tire to temporarily plug most holes. I've had the pump included in my last 4 vehicles. If not, you can buy them from the dealer. I think they're about ~$150CAD

[tex2670]

Originally Posted by Webby1518

this question may have an obvious answer but I am having a hard time finding it here.
I have a U11 M Sport on order that should be arriving within the next 3 weeks. this is my first car in 9 years without run flat tires. I would rather pay $500 a tire and have the sense of security having run flats on my car and not have to go through the trouble of being on the side of the road and wait for AAA to come help change a tire. I am also becoming limited w the range of mobility in my arms and cannot change a tire.
since the U11 comes with non run flat tires, is the car equipped to have run flats put on without any issues? will the car automatically detect RFTs are on the car, or will the settings need to be changed?

You can absolutely put RFTs on. If you leased your car, you might be required to turn it in with non RFTs; check your lease.

[tex2670]

Originally Posted by MontyB1

From my understanding your issue will be the rims, run flat tyres from memory need an extra bump inside that standard wheels mostly don’t have. This is to help keep the tyre from slipping inside if it deflates.

Settings in the car you won’t need but the ride will become much firmer, cars designed or run flats often have different suspension settings to limit the firmer sidewalls that run flats have.

So yes you can do it but would need new wheels, and tyres and face the firmer ride. Or ask yourself when was the last time you had a flat and is the switch worthy the hassle? In the EU now rarely do and spare tyres get provided anymore for weight saving.

Not on BMWs. Honda did this on some Odyssey vans, but BMW doesn't use this system with its RFTs.

[Lantirn]

I literally asked on 3 tire shops about that. You can change the tire to RF if you like, there is no RF rim or stuff like that.

[tex2670]

Originally Posted by Lantirn

I literally asked on 3 tire shops about that. You can change the tire to RF if you like, there is no RF rim or stuff like that.

Correct. BMW doesn't use those types of RFT systems, like this one:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelin_PAX_System

[Petroleum]

I was considering the X3 previously. The ride was so harsh even with the base model on runflat tires. Yes, I drove it on the same bad roads that I'm driving with my X1 right now. I know at least two X3 drivers who switched from runflat to regular tires becasue of this.

[Webby1518]

Originally Posted by tex2670

You can absolutely put RFTs on. If you leased your car, you might be required to turn it in with non RFTs; check your lease.

yes- when I spoke w my salesman in January he said the car has to go back w the same type of tires it came w. this isn't an issue for me as I was planning on taking the tires off after a month or two and storing them and putting them back on right before the AutoVin inspection before lease end.

Originally Posted by Petroleum

I was considering the X3 previously. The ride was so harsh even with the base model on runflat tires. Yes, I drove it on the same bad roads that I'm driving with my X1 right now. I know at least two X3 drivers who switched from runflat to regular tires becasue of this.

I too also considered the X3 this time around bc it had RFTs but I decided to go w the X1 for the 4th time bc every time I had an X3 as a loaner I felt I wasn't strong enough to have complete control of the car. I always feel like I'm on a horse 🐎

[FlashMonkey929]

Originally Posted by Webby1518

I too also considered the X3 this time around bc it had RFTs but I decided to go w the X1 for the 4th time bc every time I had an X3 as a loaner I felt I wasn't strong enough to have complete control of the car. I always feel like I'm on a horse 🐎

Every BMW lease I had, upon return, the tires just had to be the correct size and speed rating. Other than that, it just had to have the minimum tread depth. This was also confirmed to me by a good friend who used to be a technician there.